When You Taught Me How to Dance
by Tears and Rain
Summary: When he closes his eyes and lets his head fall back against nothing, he finds a wide smile and a bright blue gaze so intense it's unreal. But Merlin's fine with that; he doesn't want real. He just wants Arthur. Merlin sits alone one night and remembers when Arthur taught him how to dance. Merlin/Arthur One-shot


**A/N: This is definitely inspired by Katie Melua's song, ****_When You Taught Me How to Dance. _****I listened to it while writing every word of this one-shot, so you should while reading. Just a suggestion. :) As usual, I don't own anything.**

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Merlin sits alone in a park, directly under a tall street lamp. It's well past midnight, and the pubs are all closed. When he'd left one of them earlier than necessary, he'd found himself not wanting to go back home, to the lonely wait. Here in the city, despite the lonely quiet, he felt like he could hold on to a couple more hours of pretend; that he was actually living a life. But as he sits here with the cold wooden bench freezing his skin through his clothes, and the cold December air biting his bare face and neck, he finds he doesn't want to forget; that this isn't the night for that. When he closes his eyes and lets his head fall back against nothing, he finds a wide smile and a bright blue gaze so intense it's unreal.

But Merlin's fine with that; he doesn't want real. He just wants Arthur. There are years of memories to fall back on during nights like these, and just one can last a lifetime if Merlin wants it enough. Tonight, there's no question what will be waiting for him when he gets lost in his own mind. There's no helping the small grin that breaks through his lips when the cold leaves his bones and is replaced with the warmth of a cozy fire.

Arthur's pale skin reflected the flames where he lay on the fir rugs Merlin had spread out earlier, and Merlin was lying beside him, on his side with his head propped up in his hand. He found it funny - after all this time, he thought that at least some of his memory would have escaped him, and that he wouldn't be able to remember something about that night. But it was all fresh and perfect; just as it had happened. Arthur had been King for just a few months, but he was long past any doubts that he was ready for his role.

They had been talking nonsense for the past half hour, at least, just relaxed in each other's company, letting themselves be warmed by the closeness of their bodies and the fire at their feet. These kinds of nights had always been Merlin's favorite - when they were safe in Arthur's room with no reason to think about anything but the other. Arthur had just finished both a recollection of an old hunting trip, and his wine. When he looked down at the empty goblet with something akin to disappointment, Merlin didn't bother hiding the fond smile and took it before standing and heading to the pitcher by the window.

He started to refill it, but had barely begun to pour when strong arms encircled his waist. He almost dropped the pitcher, but set it down gently enough when he got over the surprise. Arthur pressed warm lips to his neck and he hummed, letting his head fall back over the strong shoulder behind him. "If I knew you were going to get up anyway, I would have let _you _get the wine."

"You're the reason I'm over here. You took too long." The mouth brushed his jaw with every syllable and he set the goblet down on the table before turning to face his king and rested his forearms on his shoulders.

"A whole fifteen seconds."

Arthur made a disapproving sound. "Thirty, at least."

Merlin reached behind himself and brought the goblet to other man's lips. "Then please accept my most sincere apologies, Sire."

Arthur still hadn't let go of him, but drank readily with his help. When the wine was gone again, he kissed him chastely, but didn't stop him from tasting the strong taste of spice from his lips. Though he only had a few seconds before he pulled back with a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Even now, Merlin doesn't know how to describe the look Arthur gave him then. It was filled with such warmth and fondness; a bit patronizing, but _so_, so admiring. After years of searching, the best word Merlin can find for it is 'love'.

"Dance with me."

"What?" Arthur chuckled and tugged at Merlin's hand, pulling him to roughly the center of the floor. Apparently gracing him with a response was beneath him. "Arthur, I don't know how to!" Merlin had protested, even as his left hand found Arthur's arm with ease and his right was held out.

"You don't need to. For once, Merlin, I'm asking you to play the girl. Just relax and let me lead."

Merlin did. The first few minutes were far from graceful, and included a lot of toe- stepping and twisting and what would have been falling if Arthur hadn't been there to catch him. But after a while, and Arthur found a slow song to hum, the steps started to make sense and Merlin found himself leaning into Arthur's body, and letting him guide them through steps - some small, some wide, in a few small, repeating circles around the bed room.

Once their eyes caught and when Merlin saw the merriment in Arthur's eyes, he laughed, and was shocked but ecstatic by how happy it sounded. When Arthur took him for an unexpected spin, he soared. He actually had looked down at their feet to make sure he hadn't set them floating in the air. He lost his breath when Arthur spun them immediately again, and clutched at his arm, pressing their bodies together.

Arthur leaned closer and whispered into his ear. "_Relax,_ Merlin." He closed his eyes and let his forehead fall to Arthur's shoulder. "There." The dance slowed; it actually all but stopped. They just shuffled their feet around, and every once in a while, Arthur would turn them in nearly an eighth of a circle, and they would start to sway again. Something about it… just made perfection.

Arthur turned his head slightly to the right and kissed Merlin's hair, just being his ear. "I love you." It was simple. It certainly wasn't the first time he'd said it, and was far from the last. But for some reason, it meant so much more than most the others. Just as he had hundreds of years ago, Merlin lets out a large breath through his open mouth as something releases- _explodes_ in his chest. "I love you too," he'd whispered into the soft fabric of Arthur's shirt.

And he did. He did and still does, and always will. Something cold and wet hits Merlin's cheek and he blinks his eyes open, looking up at the night sky past the street lamp. It's started to snow. The heat of Arthur's body leaves him and he's sitting alone in a park in the twenty-first century. Merlin sighs and stands up, stretching out his legs and pounding his gloved hands together. It's time to go home. Just before he leaves the cobbled walkway and steps onto the street, he allows himself a little twirl.

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**Thank you for reading.**

**Just so you know... This ****_is _****my first finished and published Merlin work. So please tell me what you think! ^_^**


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